Film about Egyptian uprising to get Avon Theatre screening

Scott Gargan

Updated 7:48 pm, Tuesday, January 7, 2014

"The Square," a documentary about a group of Egyptian revolutionaries, will be screened at Stamford's Avon Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
It will be followed by a Q-and-A with director Jehane Noujaim.
Photo: Contributed Photo

We've all seen the images of Tahrir Square -- the endless sea of protestors, waving Egyptian flags and clashing with police -- that flooded the Western media during the Egyptian Revolution.

But in a new documentary, director Jehane Noujaim provides an even closer look at the uprising, putting viewers at the center of the intense emotional drama that unfolds in the midst of tank fire and tear gas.

"It was very important to us to give the audience the feeling of actually being in the middle of the revolution and experiencing it viscerally," said Noujaim, who will be on hand for a special screening of her film, "The Square," at Stamford's Avon Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 9. "We wanted to create the feeling of being in the shoes of the protesters."

Filmed over the course of the Egyptian Revolution -- from the start of the January 2011 protests in Tahrir Square to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak to the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi this summer -- the documentary delves into the experiences of a group of young activists who, armed with nothing but hope, anger and determination (and maybe a few hurled stones), toppled a brutal and autocratic regime.

It is a markedly different approach from the one Noujaim took in "Control Room," her 2004 documentary about Al Jazeera and its relations with the U.S. Central Command. In that film, the director spoke with actors on multiple sides of an issue; in "The Square" she turns her lens squarely on the protesters.

"We followed people who put everything on the line," said Noujaim, an Egyptian-American filmmaker who also took part in the demonstrations. "That was the most inspiring story we could tell ... We were completely biased toward the characters."

Remarkably, those characters come from all walks of life: Ahmed is a rebellious, free-spirited working class youth; Khalid is the son of a political dissident who was raised in a liberal family; and Magdy is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a conservative Islamic movement that for decades had been brutally suppressed by the Mubarek regime. But in spite of their differences, they "share an excitement and a hope, at the very least, for the first time, that they have a hand in changing the future," Noujaim said.

Seeing these bonds being formed, she added, "was one of the most thrilling and magical experiences I've ever had."

With "The Square," Noujaim is hoping to inspire audiences to harness their own power to unite and transform their societies. She already sees that happening: Recent popular struggles point to a "universal phenomenon," a desire for political, social and economic change that has drawn people to public spaces in Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, Kiev and even Wall Street.

Still, revolution isn't easy. As viewers will see in the harrowing and hopeful scenes that span "The Square," change doesn't happen overnight.

"You may have never followed Egyptian politics, but the film isn't about that," Noujaim said. "It's about the struggle for change, the patience it takes and the willingness it takes to keep on pushing. You don't just elect a leader and go home. It's a constant struggle."